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Tampa uncuffed

Former city fire marshal in running for county job

By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published July 21, 2005

No word yet on who Hillsborough County's next fire marshal will be. But one of two people recently interviewed is former Tampa Fire Marshal Melvin Stone, who left in 1999 after becoming the city's first black marshal three years earlier.

Stone took a job with the state Fire Marshal's Office in Tallahassee, saying at the time that he applied for the job after then-fire Chief Pete Botto told him he couldn't ride in the Gasparilla parade for the second year in a row.

Hillsborough Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley said Tony Taylor, now with Gainesville Fire Rescue, also interviewed for the job last week.

Hillsborough assistant fire chief Bill Singleton has been filling in as interim county fire marshal since April, when Chief William Nesmith fired Randy Hinder after less than a year on the job.

Two employees had filed sexual harassment claims against Hinder, but Nesmith said he did not fire Hinder because of that. He said Hinder had to go because he "promoted mistrust and suspicious feelings among his employees."

Yeakley said there is no time line yet for deciding on a new fire marshal. But Singleton would like to retire soon.

SICK PET INSPIRES CAUSE: Hillsborough State Attorney's Office spokeswoman Pam Bondi loves Donovan, her 8-year-old St. Bernard, like a child.

His pictures decorate her office, and he has been featured alongside her in an HGTV special about renovations to her Hyde Park home. Bondi even lets Donovan mingle during parties at her home, greeting guests and sometimes having his way with the hors d'oeuvres.

So when Bondi found out last month that Donovan's recent lethargy was due to an advanced case of lymphoma, she cried for a long time, and then she turned her grief and worry into a mission: Get Donovan started on chemotherapy, and raise money for cancer research.

Bondi now believes Donovan will beat this disease, just like champion Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong beat his cancer.

She is ordering 250 wristbands like the popular Live Strong ones created by Armstrong. They will be gold, because part of Donovan's coat is gold, and they will proclaim Donovan: Believe. The wristbands also will feature a paw print, of course.

Bondi says she'll sell them for whatever people are willing to donate. All of the proceeds will go toward research at the Moffitt Cancer Center, which has pet therapy for patients.

"I don't know if people will want them, but I think it'll be great!" Bondi said.

Donovan is undergoing 25 weeks of chemotherapy at Florida Veterinary Services, a Tampa pet clinic that has three oncologists dedicated to dogs.

Already, he's making his mark on the place during his weekly visits.

"He's the only St. Bernard going through treatment," Bondi said. "He's the big rock star."

And now, Tampa's own cancer research mascot.

To buy a Donovan bracelet, call Bondi at (813) 274-1938.

GEOGRAPHY OF FEAR: Results of a recent survey of 2,100 households in unincorporated Hillsborough, conducted by the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office, are equal parts telling, puzzling and just plain interesting.

For example, in the Palm River-Clair Mel area east of downtown Tampa, 17 percent of those surveyed said they fear becoming a victim of murder more than any other crime.

In the more affluent communities of Cheval and FishHawk, none of the respondents said they fear being murdered.

To read more, go to www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/ CRIME-SOLVING SUCCESS: Speaking of murder, the Sheriff's Office has submitted statistics to the FBI showing its murder clearance rate last year was nearly 93 percent - 12 percent better than in 2003, and considerably higher than the national average of 62.4 percent.

The FBI hasn't released its final Universal Crime Report for 2004, but those Hillsborough figures are expected to be included in the report that features crime statistics for law enforcement agencies across the United States.

The Sheriff's Office also solved 80 percent of its rape cases, well above the national average of 44 percent, said J.D. Callaway, Sheriff's Office spokesman.

Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler may be reached at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 21, 2005, 00:55:05]